Smoke
Cooking
Some cuts of beef
and pork are better slow cooked, such as brisket, ribs, shoulder, butt and loin.
They can also be smoked to add flavor.
Marinating overnight
with spice rubs is recommended. Sugar and salt in the spice rub will cause the
meat to create it own juices. Marinades will open the pores of the meat to allow
the intense flavors to penetrate the beef and pork.
Be sure that the
meat is cooked thoroughly. Use a meat thermometer to check doneness, it should
read at least 160 degrees. Most barbecued meats are done when the meat is
falling apart.
180 degrees-185
degrees. All fat has been rendered off and the meat falls off the bone or when a
fork pierces the meat as easily as it comes out it is finished. If you can turn
a fork 90 degrees and then remove it, the meat is done. If you can turn the fork
180 degrees and remove it, the meat is pure enjoyment!
Use can use charcoal, but wood has always been used for authentic barbecue. Hardwood burns slowly and evenly enough for the amount of heat and time needed for perfectly cooked barbecue.
Throughout much of the South, oak and hickory are the woods of choice. Texas barbecues use oak and mesquite, and deep in the southern part of Louisiana, pecan wood is the choice of folks who are operating the pits and cookers there. Some people like maple for hams and poultry, and others toss in apple or cherry when smoking poultry too.
Hardwood can be purchased at any store selling outdoor supplies nowadays. It has become very popular.
Temperature is crucial to barbecue. It must be maintained between 185º and 250º F. This requires knowledge of your smoker and how to keep the temperature in the range required for slow cooking. If you must babysit the cooker, then you sit close to keep it company.
Cooking times vary with the temperature outside too. The best way to check the doneness of the meat is by using an internal thermometer.
The following chart explains temperature ranges for all kinds of cooking (in degrees Fahrenheit).
Most cooks are familiar with broiling and roasting, these temperatures may put barbecuing into perspective.
0º to 140º = cold smoking
140º to 185º = smoking
185º to 250º = barbecuing
250º to 350º = roasting
350º to 450º = cool grilling
450º to 550º = hot grilling
550º to 1700º = broiling (heat source above the food)
Appearance- the meat should look attractive on the
plate.
Aroma- the meat must smell distinctively
fragrant.
Taste- at first bite there should be a
mini-explosion first in your mouth, then in your throat as your taste buds go
ballistic. The explosion begins as a symphonic concert of flavors becomes a full
blown orchestral crescendo with no specific flavor, herb or spice singularly
identifiable.
Texture- the meat's texture should be chewable. You
do not want it mushy, tough or stringy.
Memory- this is the most important part or the
barbecue experience. The overall memory of the food tasted should stay with
you.